In the wake of the unrest Tibet was closed to foreigners and tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers sent to the region.

'Indiscriminate shooting'

In its report, Human Rights Watch cited four occasions in which security forces open fired on demonstrators - in Lhasa on 14 March, and in three ethnic Tibetan areas in Sichuan province in the days that followed the Lhasa unrest.

The group also included testimony from protesters in Lhasa and elsewhere who said they saw people being beaten with electric batons and rifle butts, or kicked by police.

The Tibet Divide

China says Tibet was always part of its territory

Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th Century

In 1950, China launched a military assault

Opposition to Chinese rule led to a bloody uprising in 1959

Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to India

Dalai Lama now advocates a "middle way" with Beijing, seeking autonomy but not independence